Books+Publishing magazine Issue 1 2016
Monday, 21 March 2016
Books+Publishing magazine’s first issue for 2016 is out now! Inside you’ll find 30 reviews of adult and children’s books publishing in April to June. Three adult books scored five stars...
Flying high: Jeannie Baker on ‘Circle’
Monday, 21 March 2016
In her new picture book Circle, Jeannie Baker uses her distinctive mixed-media illustrations to depict the migration of the bar-tailed godwits. Reviewer Margaret Hamilton describes it as a ‘masterpiece’. She...
Book bites: Get smart
Monday, 21 March 2016
The Weird and Wonderful World of Words (Wild Dog Books, April) is an excellent springboard for language classes. Its mix of facts, illustrations and creative design make this an appealing...
Book bites: International appeal
Monday, 21 March 2016
Berbay Publishing and Gecko Press specialise in finding and publishing some of the world’s best—and quirkiest—children’s books Down Under. King of the Castle (Aurora Ruá, illus by Guridi, Berbay, March),...
Book bites: Serial addiction
Monday, 21 March 2016
The apartment-dwelling, mystery-solving Squishy Taylor made her junior-fiction debut in February. This new series for readers aged six and up—which is quickly gaining fans—continues in March and April with Squishy...
Book bites: Teen talk
Monday, 21 March 2016
YA fantasy fans have a lot of choose from in the coming months. Julius and the Soulcatcher (Tim Hehir, Text, June), book two in the ‘Watchmaker’ novels, returns to a...
Fertile ground: Jane Harper on ‘The Dry’
Monday, 21 March 2016
Jane Harper won the 2015 Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for an Unpublished Manuscript for her first novel The Dry (Picador, June). She spoke to reviewer Myles McGuire. One of the most...
Between the lines: Observations on the trade by Gladys Bembo
Monday, 21 March 2016
Bookish ladies of a certain age seem to have a rather adventurous streak. Long-time readers of this column will recall the publisher who loved racing her Mini Cooper S at...
Drawing an audience: Australian Children’s Laureate Leigh Hobbs
Monday, 21 March 2016
Children’s author and illustrator Leigh Hobbs has been chosen as the Australian Children’s Laureate for 2016-17. He spoke to Jackie Tang about his plans for his laureateship and his approach...
Teens to the front: Targeting a teen audience for YA books
Monday, 21 March 2016
Finding a way to include teens in the conversations about YA books is a challenge for publishers, authors and event organisers, writes Danielle Binks. At last year’s Nielsen Children’s Book...
Book bites: In the picture
Monday, 21 March 2016
Clarrie is a farmer who gets his words mixed up: ‘The sun is up and I have a lot to shoe. No. I have a lot to poo.’ You can...
Editor’s picks: Andrea Hanke’s autumn reading list
Monday, 21 March 2016
Curtis Sittenfeld and Anne Tyler update Austen and Shakespeare in Andrea Hanke’s autumn reading list. Modern classics Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld (HarperCollins, May) is a modern retelling of Jane Austen’s...
Your store: Shelf support
Monday, 21 March 2016
If you look closely at the shelves of several WA bookstores you might notice some distinctive new signage. Over the past few months Fremantle Press has been fitting out local...
Smarten up: Professional development in publishing
Monday, 21 March 2016
Professional development opportunities are a ‘mixed bag’ in the publishing industry, but there are opportunities if you know where to look, writes Portia Lindsay. Professional development in the publishing industry...
Your store: Non-book item of the month
Monday, 21 March 2016
While book-lovers are unlikely to be lost for conversation topics, these TableTopics conversation cards could liven up a retro dinner party or an awkward internet date. Each TableTopics cube has...
Shelf talk: Quirky tales
Monday, 21 March 2016
To talk about upcoming left-of-centre titles that I’m excited about and not start with Justin Cronin’s The City of Mirrors (Orion, June) would be ridiculous and punishable by … something...
Shelf talk: Women’s fiction
Monday, 21 March 2016
Booksellers looking to shore up their women’s fiction lists for Mother’s Day are spoilt for choice. Katie Rowney brings a fresh, contemporary voice to rural fiction with Front Page News...
Shelf talk: True to life
Monday, 21 March 2016
When investigative journalist Luke Williams started researching the world of crystal meth, he became addicted to the drug. Williams recounts the experience in The Ice Age (Scribe, May), combining reportage...
Shelf talk: Tasty titles
Monday, 21 March 2016
Pete Evans and Sally Obermeder both have new cookbooks out in April. Evan’s One Pot Favourites (Plum) features paleo recipes that can be made in one pot or wok, while...
Your store: Chris Currie’s guide to social media success
Monday, 21 March 2016
So you’ve set up your Facebook business page, Twitter and Instagram accounts and found someone willing to post on behalf of your business. So how do you get people to...
Shelf talk: Fantastic fiction
Monday, 21 March 2016
The second quarter of the year is a big one in sci-fi/fantasy circles. There are expos, conventions and the 50th annual Nebula awards all clamouring for attention. It’s also a...
Shelf talk: Craft corner
Monday, 21 March 2016
The following titles have an arty, crafty or inspirational appeal. Penguin—an abandoned, injured magpie chick—came into Sam Bloom’s life after a near-fatal fall left her paralysed. When Sam’s husband Cameron...
Working the crowd: The ins and outs of crowdfunding campaigns
Monday, 21 March 2016
Crowdfunding can be a smart way for small and self-publishers to raise cash and kickstart their marketing campaign, but the odds of success are slim, writes Brad Jefferies. Looking at...
Pearce and co: A history of the Hobart Bookshop
Monday, 21 March 2016
Christopher Pearce followed his father Cedric into bookselling, working first at Fullers and then the Papua New Guinea Bookshop before opening the Hobart Bookshop with his partner Janet, writes bookseller...
Colour by numbers: Shaun Symonds on 2015 and the year of the colouring book
Monday, 21 March 2016
This year Books+Publishing will publish a regular column from Nielsen Book Australia general manager Shaun Symonds on book data trends. In his first column, Symonds reflects on the year of...
On tour: Maria V Snyder
Monday, 21 March 2016
US fantasy author Maria V Snyder is best known for her YA-crossover ‘Study’ series. Her latest book is Night Study (Harlequin). She will be travelling to the Gold Coast, Sydney...
Shelf life: Profile of Booktopia’s Christopher Cahill
Monday, 21 March 2016
‘Most people think I work in IT,’ writes Booktopia merchandiser Christopher Cahill. He shares his career journey. When I tell people I’m an online merchandiser nine times out of 10...
Terri-ann White: Is the book industry special?
Monday, 21 March 2016
UWA Publishing director Terri-ann White has written books, taught writing and literature, and owned a bookshop. She joins Books+Publishing in 2016 as a regular columnist examining the book industry and where...
A series of fortunate events: Australia’s first children’s publishing consultancy Stories Inc.
Monday, 21 March 2016
Australia’s first children’s publishing consultancy is helping publishers expand their children’s lists. Carody Culver spoke to Stories Inc. founders Susannah McFarlane and Louise Park. With Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton’s...
Talkback: Changes to penalty rates
Monday, 21 March 2016
Do you think penalty rates need to change for Australian retailers? Books+Publishing asked two booksellers. Given that penalty rates were established in 1947 to compensate people working outside ‘normal hours’, and that...
